Thermo-electric controlling mechanism.



No. 867,846. PATENTED 001'. 8, 1907. H. 0. SMITH.

THERMO ELECTRIC CONTROLLING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 7, 1905.

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FAXX 4M UNITE l STAES PATE T OFFICE.

'nsnnin SMITH, OF NEW YOsK, N. Y.

Y TEERlMO-ELECTBIC CONTROLLING MECKANISM.

all it'moy Be itlrno wn that I, BARBIE C. Siam, a citizen of the Y Unit'ed States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new. and useful 11 np'rovements in Thermo-Electric Controlling an, of which the following is a specifica- This invention relates to thermoeelectrically-operated controlling mechanism, the object of the inven;

tion being to p rovide a simple, reliable and efficient medianisrn aut omaticallyactuated by variations of temperature to operate a controlling device governing. the action of a pa rt or parts to be controlled, the'invene' tion being adapts d'for use as a draft regulator, for furnaces, etc., and fo. r many other useful.purposes.

V The accompany ng drawing is a side elevation and.

diagram illustratingthe invention as for '-as adraftregulatonf Y 7 Referring new moi epartic larly to the the numeraljl represents an electric motor, the armature jsha ft 2 ofi hichcarrir s a word: 3 meshing with a drivmggearwheel i:

On the shaft ofthe g ear wheel-A is a pinion 5 which meshes with a power tn \nsmitting gear-wheel-(i, which is thus adapted t}! be driven by the niotor.

' Tothe shaft of fe-gen wheel 6 is fixed a controlling device 7, shown in the pn sent instance in the form of a crank arm adapted for; transmitting motion to the ash .pit door. and flue damper ofa-stove or furnace. As 0 shown,

the arm 7 is connec ted with an operating chain 8 whichjs attached to reguli \ting chains 9 and 10 which over suitable guidepulh vys Hand 12, respectively,

and are attacher'l to the ash p it door 13 and the operatarm14 of a damper 15 disposed in the line pipel6. The door Bis of the hingetype and adapted to by gravity, while the actuating arm 14 of the dam er, whi h, latter may be at any preferred construction, carries a" 'ieight 17 to adap t it to close by gravity.

To -the arm 7 is also a chain 18 carrying a counter weight 19, thefunction Of which is to diminish .the work from the rmtoz: to open the dampers,

as well as to the work required from the motor. preventing a too sudden closing of the with the power transnitting gear wheel 6.

' is aicimuit hrea'ker' comprising a s amicircular cornmu tstor dislr'20 and two commutator brushes 21 and 22,

, thejlatter 'hs ving a resilient hook-s1 \aped contact finger:

22 these blushes so arranged that the brush 21 is in content with the curved edgu of the disk when thedoor and dsinpzef are closed, wh le the finger of the 22mm ofcontsct withthe t'lislt'and is ro h Specification of Letters Patent, Application filed October 7,1905: sens 1T0. za1.s3o..

Patented oec-s, 1907;

connected with the motor and armature shaft 2.

This circuit, wh coriiple'ted by ,the wiring hereinafter described, is con ed byv-s. thermostat 25 which is preferably of the the ranged to play between two mutator'bnish 21, while iromthe con 7 x n a wire 29 leading to the commutator brush 22. The thermostat is connected. with the other pole of the battery by a wire 30 and is normally arranged to lie between the .On the armature shaft 2 is a brake wheel or disk 3]; which also acts as a fly-wheel and is adapted to be en-r gaged by an armature brake 32 pivoted tothe motor' casing and normally held in contact with the periphery of said wheel by an actuating spring 33. The armature '(5 brake 32 is controlled by an' electro magnet 34 connect'ed by a wire 35 with the motor casing and by a wire 36 with a springc0ntact strip or brush 37 arranged to engage the power transmitting wheel 6. When the magnet 34 is energized the armature brake 32 is attracted thereby and drawn out of engagement with the brake whe'el31, thus permitting the shaft 2 to'revolve. By providing the brake mechanism to act directly upon the armature shaft, the gearing may be brought to an easy and gradual stop without jar thereon and without the objectionable back strain resulting from the use of a brake acting on the driven train. 4

' The drawing shows the parts in their'normal position with the furnace door and damper closed and the thermo static bar-25 represented as just having moved into an engagement with the contact 26 from its normal position between the two contacts 26 and 27. In this positionof the parts the brush 21 is in contact with the for-wardportion of the curved edge of the commutator the direction of movement of said disk, while ,the end of the resilient finger 22 of the brush 22 lies above the straight edge of the disk adjacent the rear perature in the building or compartment falls below that desired the thermostatic bar 25 moves as shown into engagement with the contact 26, thus closing the electric circuit, whereupon a current will pass fromfthe battery 23. to and through wire 30, thermostat 25, con- 2'6, wire 28, brush 21, disk 20, wheel 6, brush 37,

tion forthe.c losing of the do rsnd ls-. 1 r they 55 tacts 2 6 and 27. Frorn thec'ontact 26 extends a wire 28 which lead to the com 65 two contacts 26 and 27. 7O

portion of the curved edge of the disk. When the tem 1 f; I 867,846 f tlfi wheel 31, thus permitting the armature shaft 2 to be revolved and transmit motion through the gearing to the power transmitting gear 6, which will be revolved in the direction indicated by the arrow. As the gear 6 revolves the curved face of the commutator rides in contact with the brush 21 until the gear makes a half revolution when the commutator will move out of engagement with. said strip and the arm 7 willbe moved to a-position diametrically opposite that shown the drawing. This operation of the arm 7 will draw upon the chains 9 and 10 and open the door 13 and damper 15. When'the disk 20 moves out of engagementwith the brush 21, it will simultaneously move into engagement with the finger 22 of brush 22, and the circuit will be broken, as in this phase of operation the brush 22 is not disposed in the circuit. The breaking of the current will cause the magnet 34 to be deenergized, thus permitting the spring 33 to move the armature brake 32 into contact with the brake wheel 31 and arrest the motion of the armature shaft 2. The door and damper will thereby be held open, and the parts will be held in the prescribed position until the temperature in the build-. ing or compartment rises above the normal, whenthe thermostatic bar 25 will move. into contact with the contact 27'. A current from the battery 23 'will thereby be caused to pass through wire 30, thermostat 25,-contact 27, wire 29 to brush 22, thence through disk 20 and wheel 6 to brush 37, thence through wire 36 to magnet 34 and-motor, and back through wire 24 to the battery, whereby the brake will be relapsed and the motor operated to again drive the gear'G n the same direction as before. ,The curved edg of the commutatorwill thenride in engagement with the finger 22 of brush 22, and the arm 7 will be turned until the gear wheel completes its revolution and brings the arm back to its normal position, whereupon the commutator disk will move out of engagement with the brush 22 and into engagement with the brush 21, thus again breakingthe circuit and causing the magnet to be deenergized and the armature to be thrown into contact with the brake wheel to arrest the movement of the motor. .As the arm 7 moves upward to its normal position under the second half of revolution of the gear 6 the door' 13 and damper 15 will close by gravity, the weight of the same being counterbalanced by the counterweight 19 so as to prevent them from closing too suddenly and throwing strain upon the gearing.

It will be observed that by the above described construction'of the brushes 21 and 22 the free end of the brush 21 will lie in contact with the curved edge of the commutator disk 20 when the parts are in normal position and the furnace door and damper closed, while the hooked resilient finger 22" of the brush will normally lie out of contact with the disk but in the plane of movement of the curved edge of the disk in its rotation from damper-opening to damper-closing position. Hence in the" second half of the full rotary movement of the commutator disk the normally upper forward edge of the curved face of the latter will engage the free end of the finger 22*, and the latter will thereupon ride upon said curved surface until'the disk has made its complete revolution, when a restoration of the parts to the normal position shown in the drawing will occur. In this operation, it will of course be understood that the free end of the resilient finger will swing upward when the upper front portion of the disk comes in contact therewith, allowing the same to pass, and said fingerv will thereupon be in contact with the curved edgepf the disk by its resiliency. This construction provides for the proper arrangement and operation of the brushes, so that one brush or the other will be out of contact with the commutator disk, thus obviating the necessityof employing a disk having insulated portions in. order to prevent short-circuiting. The cost of construction is thereby decreased and greater efiiciency'se'cured. l f

From theforegoing description, taken in connection tion of the controlling mechanism will be readily understood, and it will be seen that the invention provides a simple, eflec tive and reliable construction of means for controlling the operation of the arm 7 by-which the door and damper are opened and goi'rned in their closing movement. While I have shown the invention as adapted in the present instance for operating a stove or furnace door and damper, it will, of course, be understood that thearm 7 or its equivalent may be employed for operating other devices. The invention is, in fact, adapted to be employed formariy useful purposes, and, if desired, the arm 7 may beadapted to perform the function of '3: switch for controlling a secondary circuit, whereby electric power may 'be supplied for operating devices of various kinds. v

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:.

1. In a device oi. the chaiacter described, the combination of 'a motor having its drmature shaft horizontally arranged, a worm on said shaft, a vertically disposed drivlug gear meshing with the worm, a pinion died to turn with said driving gear, a,,'vertically disposed transmission gear arranged in a plane parallel witirthe driving gear and meshing with the pinion, a controlling arm and semicircular commutator disk fixed to rotate with said transmission gear, said disk having an uninsulated acting surface, a brush in contact with the transmission gear, 'a pair of brushes arranged vertically on opposite sides ot'the commutator and having contact portions arranged to be alternately engaged 11,! the curved edge of the diskin the plane of rotation of :the latter, a battery, a brake wheel on the motor shaft; 8. spring projected brake shoe supported adjacent sai wall and adapted to engage the.same,'

commutator dlsl: and adapted to engage the curved edge thereof, one of said brushes being normally out of contact with the disk and provided with a hooked resilient finger for coacting therewith, an electric circuit including said:

brushes, motor, and gear-train, and a thermostat controlling said circuit. 7 i

' 3. In a device 01! the character described, the combination of a motcr, a worm upon the armature shaft of the with the drawing, the construction and mode of operamotor, a drive gear meshing with said wormfa pinion driven by the gear, a power transmitting gear in mesh with the pinion, a semi-circnlar uninsniated commutator disk driven by the transmitting gear, a,,brush in contact with the transmitting gear, a pair of brushes arranged on opposite sides of the commutator disk and adapted to engage the curved edge thereof, one 01 said brushes being normally out of contact with said disk and having a hooked resilient finger for coaction therewith, a battery, a conductor connecting the motor and first-named brush with one pole of the battery, :1 pair 01 contacts, a therniostat connected with the other pole of the battery and arranged to play between said contacts, and conductors respectiveiy connecting said contacts with the commutator brushes.

In testimony whereof, I aifix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HARRIE C. SMITH.

JAMES IRWIN, 

